Robert E. Gerber (August 1, 1916 – February 13, 2002) was an American basketball player. He played in the National Basketball League (an

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

predecessor) for four seasons following an All-American college career at the University of Toledo. Gerber came to

Toledo Toledo most commonly refers to: * Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain * Province of Toledo, Spain * Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States Toledo may also refer to: Places Belize * Toledo District * Toledo Settlement Bolivia * Toledo, Orur ...

after a somewhat undistinguished high school career in Akron, Ohio. The 6'4 center/

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

never lettered until his senior year at Akron South High School. However, he came into his own in college. He earned All-American honors in

1941 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January–August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar Eu ...

and

1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in wh ...

and as a senior became the all-time collegiate scoring leader for the state of Ohio and broke the national college single-season scoring record with 532 points (both marks since eclipsed). Following the close of his college career, Gerber played briefly with the

Toledo Jim White Chevrolets Toledo most commonly refers to: * Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain * Province of Toledo, Spain * Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States Toledo may also refer to: Places Belize * Toledo District * Toledo Settlement Bolivia * Toledo, O ...

of the NBL before joining the U.S. Army for World War II. Upon his return home, Gerber restarted his professional basketball career, playing three more seasons with the Indianapolis Kautskys,

Toledo Jeeps The Toledo Jeeps were a professional basketball team that played in the National Basketball League from 1946 to 1948. As with many other NBL teams, they owed their name to an industry of their hometown, in this case the Willys Jeep Plant. They ...

, Minneapolis Lakers and Tri-Cities Blackhawks. He averaged 6.8 points in 93 NBL games. After his professional career was over, Gerber settled into private life in Toledo, Ohio. He died of heart failure on February 13, 2002, in

Sandusky, Ohio Sandusky ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Erie County, Ohio, Erie County, Ohio, United States. Situated along the shores of Lake Erie in the northern part of the state, Sandusky is located roughly midway between Toledo, Ohio, Toledo ( wes ...

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External links

NBL statsToledo Athletic HOF profile
1916 births 2002 deaths All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players United States Army personnel of World War II Basketball players from Akron, Ohio Centers (basketball) Forwards (basketball) Indianapolis Kautskys players Minneapolis Lakers players Toledo Jeeps players Toledo Jim White Chevrolets players Toledo Rockets men's basketball players Tri-Cities Blackhawks players {{1910s-US-basketball-bio-stub